Search for an Assassin
by Sora Himura
Summary: Van meets a man that seems to be a friend, but things may not be what they seem. Now he must fight for his and Fiona's lives, against a mysterious serial killer. But fighting against the dreams and feelings he starts to have may be tougher. Van x Fiona s
1. Default Chapter

Search for an assassin  
By Sora Himura  
Chapter 01 - Danger is lurking nearby  
  
It was 2 years after Rudolf's coronation as the Guylos Emperor. Van is 16 years old. Fiona looks 16 ('cause who knows what her real age is.). They were on their way home after a nice vacation Rudolf gave them in the Garrio Resort. They were both pretty relaxed. But what they didn't know is that they would be in serious danger soon enough.  
  
Van was stretching after being sitting so long. "Man! Am I starving! I can't wait to get home! I hope Maria has cooked something good." He said, as he picked up the pace with the Liger.  
  
Fiona was looking around the stuff they had brought from their vacation. She kept looking, until she reached her goal. "Hey Van? Do you want this last papaya, or can I eat it?" she said as she showed it to him.  
  
Van sighed in defeat. "Go ahead. That's the 12th one of my papayas you've eaten since we set out. I wonder, where do you put 'em all?" he asked her as Fiona just giggled and started munching on the papaya.  
  
Finally, the Blade Liger stopped in front of Van's house. They had barely got off when Maria came outside to meet them.  
  
"Van! Fiona! I'm so glad to see that you two are safe and sound!" she called out to them, looking very relieved.  
  
"What do you mean, safe and sound? Is something the matter?" Van asked his older sister as he jumped down from the cockpit.  
  
"There's a serial killer on the loose. He attacks people with no reason at all and he was last spotted in the Sand Colony." Maria explained.  
  
"Oh my gosh! Has anybody here been hurt?" asked Fiona as Van helped her get down from the Liger.  
  
"Luckily, no. Not yet, anyway. But Van, I'm worried about you. You're famous, an appealing target for someone who wants publicity. Please, be careful!" Maria said, her voice full of sisterly concern.  
  
"Don't worry, sis. If he comes after ME he won't stand a chance. I'm 16 years old now. I'm not a kid anymore." Van said, standing proudly.  
  
"Now I'm worried too. Please, Van, let's be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you." Begged Fiona, pulling Van's sleeve.  
  
Van sighed in defeat. "If you say so."  
  
After he and Fiona unpacked, and the girls started making dinner, Van decided to go to the hill to visit his father's grave and leave some flowers at his grave. He was coming out of the flower shop when he stumbled across a clueless looking man, about 21. He had spiky green hair, piercing black eyes, he was pretty tall, with a muscular complexion. His name, he would later find out, was Drake.  
  
" Sorry." Van apologized with a bow.  
  
Drake just shrugged. "Oh, don't worry about it. I'm just lost. You wouldn't happen to know where you can eat a nice meal around here, would you?" he asked in a friendly tone.  
  
"Sure! If you meet with me at the bottom of this hill in 10 minutes, I'll take you to my house. My sister's cooking is the best. You'll love it!" Van offered his newfound aquaintance.  
  
"Thank you for the offer. I'll gladly accept your invitation. By the way, what are you going to do up in the hill?" Drake inquired.  
  
"I'm going to visit my father's grave. Now that I think about it, what's your name?"  
  
"My name is Drake Toriyama. What is your name?"  
  
"I'm Van. Van Flyheit."  
  
At hearing Van's name, Drake put his hand to his chin. "Hmm. Mayor Dan Flyheit's son, I presume?"  
  
"Yeah. Well, see you in a while!" Van waved as he headed up the hill. Drake kept watching him from a distance.  
  
Van went up the hill until he came to the graveyard. He walked over to his father's grave and laid some flowers on it.  
  
"Hey dad. How're you doing up there? I hope everything's fine."  
  
He said a short prayer then came down the hill. Waiting for him down there was Drake.  
  
"Van, I'm sorry, but I don't have time to stay for dinner." Drake apologized. "I heard a thunderstorm's about to start."  
  
"Well, can you at least come meet my family?"  
  
This seemed to catch Drake's interest. "Who's your family?"  
  
"My older sister Maria and a girl named Fiona. They're the only family I have left."  
  
Drake seemed particularly interested when Van mentioned a girl that wasn't his sister. "Fiona, how is she related to you? A sister, cousin, perhaps?"  
  
Van shook his head. "No. She's my best friend. Here's a picture." He said as he handed Drake a picture of Fiona.  
  
"Wow. She's a looker! Are you sure you didn't mean to say "girlfriend" instead of just "best friend"?" he asked Van with a smirk. Van just blushed.  
  
"Nah. She's ONLY my best friend." Van assured him.  
  
"Hmm. I would be careful if I were you. Well, see ya later, Van." Drake said as he disappeared down a path, leaving a pensive Van behind.  
  
"Careful? Of WHAT!?" thought Van.  
  
Van started home. He decided to get some flowers for Maria and Fiona on his way back. By the time he got home it was starting to get dark.  
  
Maria was waiting for him at the door. "What happened, Van? What took you?" she asked him.  
  
"Met this guy called Drake. He seemed like a nice guy. But he was curious, very curious. Here, these flowers are for you." He said as he handed Maria some white carnations. " And here, Fiona. These are for you." He gave Fiona some pink carnations.  
  
"Thanks, Van. They're lovely. Now won't you join us at the table?" Fiona asked as she motioned to the chair next to her.  
  
Van's stomach growled and he sweatdropped. "Hehe, absolutely!" he said as he took a seat next to her.  
  
After they had dinner, Fiona went to take a bath while Van helped Maria clean the kitchen.  
  
Maria was still a bit curious about Drake. "So, tell me more about this Drake." She inquired.  
  
Van rested his head on his arms and sighed. "Well, he was very curious, especially about Fiona. He even asked me if she was my girlfriend."  
  
"Is she?" Maria asked.  
  
Van quickly blushed. "Of course not! What makes you think that she and I."  
  
"Well, you have been friends for a long time. Oh look. Fiona finished taking a bath. Go take a bath, Van." She told him in the tone she used with him 2 years ago.  
  
"Don't tell me what to do! I'm not a kid!" Van replied fuming.  
  
"Sorry, Mr. Van Flyheit. It won't happen again." Maria apologized laughing.  
  
"Humph." Was all Van said as he walked away.  
  
Van went to take a bath, still fuming. An hour later, they were saying their goodnights when a thunderstorm started.  
  
Fiona cringed every time she heard a thundering sound. "Van, I'm scared." She practically whimpered like a child.  
  
Van tried to comfort her. "There's nothing to worry about. Go to sleep." He said to her in his most gentle and reassuring tone of voice.  
  
Fiona seemed to calm down a bit. "Ok, Goodnight Van. Goodnight Maria."  
  
"Goodnight Fiona." They answered in unison, as the lights went out.  
  
And they went to sleep, not knowing what was in store for them.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.  
  
"Van here. There's a thunderstorm, and when I wake up, Fiona's gone! Where are you, Fiona? What's that? Your life's in danger? I'm coming! Next time on Zoids: Search for an assassin- Chapter 2: Shadow of Darkness. See ya on the battlefield!"  
  
********************************** Yay! I finally posted the first chapter! If you liked this, let me tell you, this story has 15 or 16 chapters so, review, please! And make Sora- chan happy! 


	2. Shadow of Darkness

Yay! Many people like this fic, which means I can continue for now! Thank you so much to my first reviewers. You guys are the best! Now, on with the  
story, 'cause once I'm finished writing here, I'm gonna work on another  
chapter for my other fic, Rurouni Kenshin Highschool Madness! Rurouni  
Kenshin fans (and none fans too) are welcome to read it too! P.S.: To one of my reviewers, Van wasn't 18 at the beginning of the series. It was just an error. He's supposed to be 14 at the beginning of the series  
when he met Fiona. But, thanks for your concern!  
  
Disclaimer: Just like with Rurouni Kenshin. I don't own Zoids, okay? I only  
own my several model kits, action figures, DVDs, etc. SO DON'T BUG  
ME!!!!!!!  
  
Chapter 02: Shadow of Darkness  
  
Fiona woke up startled by the thunder. She couldn't sleep; she felt unsafe. But, why? She quietly exited the room and went to the living room. She looked out the window. Everything looked dark, gloomy, and scary. The rain was pouring, and the lightning was showering down almost as much as the rain. She was thinking how eerie all this was when she felt a hand grabbing her arm. She screamed for help before the shadow covered her mouth, and pulled her outside.  
  
Van woke up, startled by Fiona's screams. He got up quickly and seeing Fiona was not in her bed, ran to the living room. The front door was open and the floor was wet and slippery. He started to worry.  
  
"I don't like the looks of this." He said as he looked around. Then he called out. "Fiona? Where are you? Can you hear me? Fiona!"  
  
He ran outside, the rain pouring stronger than before. He was soaking, but he wasn't going back inside without Fiona. A lightning bolt fell near and lit up the surroundings. Van looked up. Fiona was up in the graveyard, being held there by a shadowy figure. Okay. Whoever that was, he was dead meat. He went up the hill the side opposite where Fiona and the shadowy figure were.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Fiona asked terrified, once the figure uncovered her mouth. She tried to pull away from the shadowy figure. But the person had a good grip on her.  
  
"They call me the Shadow and I'm here because I want to kill you for no reason at all." The figure whispered creepily, and Fiona started to tremble all over.  
  
"You're the serial killer, aren't you?" she said to him, looking to where she supposed the man's face was.  
  
The shadow smirked (although it wasn't visible to Fiona) and said in a smooth voice. "Precisely, my dear Fiona."  
  
Fiona gasped. "How do you know my name?" she inquired.  
  
Shadow chuckled. "Oh I know far more than that; born from a capsule, Ancient Zoidian, real name: Elisi Lynnette, organoid partner: Zeke and VERY CLOSE friend of Van Flyheit. Now, back to business." he said as he took out a dagger he had hidden among the folds of his clothes.  
  
He started to get closer to Fiona. Fiona screamed, when suddenly she was pulled back and Shadow flew backwards.  
  
"What the hell.?" yelled Shadow bewildered.  
  
Fiona turned around. Lit by a thunderbolt, she saw Van standing there, with a dark look in his face.  
  
Fiona had never been so happy to see Van in her entire life. "Van!" she cried out.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked her, then he turned to Shadow. "Who the heck is this guy?"  
  
Shadow got up and ran away. He was laughing like a maniac. Fiona shuddered at his laughter.  
  
Shadow looked back as he ran. "I'll be back! And I'll kill you!" he called out to Fiona.  
  
"Oh yeah? Well, you'll have to get through ME first, JERK!" Van yelled at him.  
  
He then turned to Fiona, who was obviously soaking wet. She ran to him, pushing herself into his arms. She was shivering, both by fear and by cold.  
  
Van gently hugged her back. "There, there. Everything's gonna be alright." He assured her. But then Fiona started to sob uncontrollably.  
  
"He tried to kill me. that man tried to kill me.I was so scared." she sobbed. Van was rubbing her back to calm her down.  
  
"Nobody will lay a finger on you. Not while I'm around. I promise. Who was that guy, anyway?" he asked Fiona.  
  
"He's an assassin called Shadow; the serial killer Maria was telling us about. Oh Van, I'm so scared." she whispered.  
  
"Don't worry. I'll protect you. Now let's get you back inside. You're soaked. You'll catch pneumonia or something." He said in a whispering tone.  
  
He hugged her closer. Then, carrying her in his arms, he descended the hill and made his way to his house where Maria was waiting for them, pacing back and forth. She looked really worried.  
  
As soon as Van and Fiona appeared in the doorway, Maria fired away. "Where have you been? You must be chilled to the bone! What happened? Oh, Fiona, you poor thing!" she showered them with her questions and exclamations.  
  
Van was the one that answered her. "We really don't want to talk about it. Now, Fiona, try to get some sleep." He said to her, who by now was wrapped in a blanket Maria had given her.  
  
"But, Van, I'm afraid. I'm afraid to go to sleep. What if."  
  
"Nothing's gonna happen. Don't worry. I'll be right by your side." He promised her.  
  
Fiona felt grateful to Van. "Thank you." She said.  
  
She gave him a grateful kiss on the cheek and went to the big bedroom (the one with the two beds). Van promised her he would look after her. She smiled at him, and Van turned around, blushing and facing a curious Maria.  
  
"What was that all about?" she asked her younger brother.  
  
Van stammered. "Um.What do you mean?"  
  
"Hello, she just kissed you." She reminded him.  
  
"It was just on the cheek. What's the big deal?" he said, sitting on the couch, drying himself with one of the kitchen towels.  
  
Maria rolled her eyes. "Boys. they're so clueless." she thought out loud.  
  
Van didn't like the tone she said that. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
Maria giggled. "Never mind. Well, can you tell me what happened outside?" she begged.  
  
Van sighed. "Okay. You know that serial killer you were telling me to watch out for?" he started, as Maria started to pour a hot drink for him.  
  
"Don't tell me he's after you!" she exclaimed.  
  
"I wish it was that way. He's after Fiona." He replied, taking a sip of the mug Maria handed him. "Youch!!! THIS IS HOT!!!!!!!!" he complained as he fanned his mouth.  
  
"What could that assassin possibly want with her?" Maria wondered.  
  
"Don't know. Well, let's go to sleep." He said. "But first, I guess I should change." He added, as he grabbed a handful of new clothes and went to the bathroom to change.  
  
When Van came out, Maria went to bed, and he took his place in a couch, watching over the two girls in the room.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.  
  
"Fiona here. This horrible man tried to kill me last night, and apparently, he won't stop until I'm dead! Van says he'll protect me, but I don't want him to be alone. Time to call our old friends. Next time on Zoids: Search for an assassin- Searching for help. See ya on the battlefield!  
  
********** I'm glad there are people who like this fic! Let me tell you, this one is written all the way to chapter 16 already so, if you want more, review, and leave a good one! If nobody cares, I won't continue this fic. Now review, and make Sora-chan happy!!! ^_^x 


	3. Searching for Help

I decided to update a little earlier this week, 'cause I'm sick and, since I didn't go to school, I really don't have much to do. (I forgot my PS2 at  
my grandma's house. () Oh well. Here's chapter 3!  
  
Chapter 03: Searching for Help  
  
It was a dark, stormy night. (I've always wanted to say that! ^_^x) Thunder was crashing down everywhere. Fiona was in a creepy graveyard, all alone. Shadows moved about her. A shadowy hand reached out to grab her. She screamed.  
  
"Aaaah! Van! Help me, please!" She yelled as she started running as fast as she could. Shadows everywhere reached out for her. She kept screaming and running. She eventually came to a dead end. The shadows encircled her. She was terrified.  
  
"Help me, please!" she said, starting to sob. "Help me. please." she said as she fell to her knees.  
  
"Fiona? Fiona! Wake up!" a voice said as she automatically sat up. The shadows had disappeared.  
  
"Huh? Where am I? Asked Fiona confused as she looked around her with puzzled eyes.  
  
Van yawned. "In my room, in my house, Wind Colony, Republic Area, Planet Zi, zip code, no idea." He answered her. Fiona laughed because he sounded so funny.  
  
"Poor Van. He didn't sleep at all because of me." Fiona said to herself. Then she asked him. "Van, are you sure you slept AT ALL last night?"  
  
Van yawned again. "I can't tell her the truth. She'll feel guilty. But I can't lie to her." He said to himself. "Don't worry about me." He told her.  
  
Fiona wasn't convinced. "Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm okay, trust me." He assured her.  
  
"Okay, if you say so." she said, still not convinced.  
  
Maria entered the room, with two cups of coffee, one with sugar (for Van) and the other with salt (for Fiona. DUH!)  
  
"Good Morning, you two." She chirped. "Do you feel better, Fiona?" she asked, handing Fiona her cup of Weird Salty Ancient Zoidian Coffee.  
  
"Hey! What about me, sis?" Van complained as he yawned again. Maria turned to look at her brother.  
  
"Um, Van? Did you sleep anything at all last night? You don't look very awake, to tell the truth." She said worriedly. Van thought, "What the heck's up with these girls? Always asking if you slept anything."  
  
He once again answered. "Don't worry about me." Then he took his cup of coffee his sister offered him. "By the way, thanks for the coffee, sis.  
  
Suddenly the computer in the room made a sound announcing an e-mail. Everyone turned around to look at the computer, with a quizzical look in their face.  
  
"Hmm, I wonder who's it for?" Van wondered out loud.  
  
He got up to look at it, followed by Fiona. When they read the message, Fiona started to shake and tremble. It read:  
  
Dear Fiona Elisi Lynette:  
  
I want you to know I won't give up until you're dead. Watch out, I'm coming to get you! Take care. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHA!!!!  
  
"Love",  
Shadow  
  
Then the screen went blank.  
  
"Why that filthy." Van started. He was interrupted by a trembling Fiona clutching his arm.  
  
"Don't leave me alone. Van, I'm scared. More than before." She whimpered.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm here for ya." He said comfortingly.  
  
"I'm glad I have you by my side." Fiona said thankfully, feeling better.  
  
Maria cleared her throat, and Van blushed, but Fiona doesn't get it "Ahem, let's concentrate on the situation. I think the best thing is for you to go away from the Wind Colony. But, where would you go?" she asked.  
  
Van's Idea Lightbulb suddenly turned on. "I know! Let's call Irvine! Or Moonbay! Surely one of them can help us!"  
  
"Do you know where they are?" Fiona asked, and Van nodded.  
  
"Irvine works in Rudolf's royal guard and Moonbay's still a transporter "of the wasteland"." Van said, and then he started imitating Moonbay's voice, singing. "I am a transporter, of the wasteland. I'm just, making it up, as I go!"  
  
Fiona and Maria started to laugh and joined along.  
  
"We are, transporters, of the wild wasteland! We never know just where, the dusty road will take us!" They burst out laughing.  
  
Fiona stopped laughing. "Um, Van? What are we laughing at?"  
  
Van stopped laughing too, and answered. "I don't know." Then they started laughing like maniacs again.  
  
"This is a hopeless cause." Maria mumbled sweatdropping.  
  
Van finally stopped laughing, and yawns. "I'm gonna call Irvine first." He said as he picked up the phone and dialed Irvine's number.  
  
It rang for several seconds, then a familiar, but not friendly-sounding, voice answered. (Irvine was woken up by the phone. "Damn the fricking phone!" as Irvine would say.)  
  
Irvine, groaning, said "Who's it?"  
  
"Irvine? It's me, Van." Van answered.  
  
"VAN, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE HECK TIME IT IS? IT'S 6 A.M. ON A SATUR-DAY, YOU LITTLE." Irvine yelled into the phone, obviously feeling capable of killing Van.  
  
(A/n: From now on, every time a character yawns, it will be between (parentheses). Hope that helps. ^_^x)  
  
"Yeah yeah, glad to hear you too Irvine. Listen, we need your help, urgently. (yawn)" Van said.  
  
"(yawn) Looks like you didn't sleep much either. And who's US? Do you need help so urgently you need to wake me up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday? (yawn)" Irvine asked, still in a bad mood.  
  
"Us means Fiona and me. And yes, we need help that badly that I thought I should wake you up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday. Listen, do you happen to know where's Moonbay? (yawn)" Van kept on talking.  
  
"(yawn) She's supposed to come to palace in two days. But why do we need Moonbay for? (yawn)"  
  
"Can you guys meet me at the mexican restaurant in Guygalos in two days? (yawn)"  
  
"I'm down with that, but I'll have to ask Moonbay if that's okay with her. (yawn)"  
  
"Okay. Thanks a billion, Irvine. Now you can go back to sleep. (yawn)"  
  
"(yawn) You too." Irvine replied, and then he hung up.  
  
Van put down the phone, and when he turned around, his eyes met with Fiona's prompting ones. "What did Irvine say?" she inquired.  
  
" (yawn) He said he'll help us." Van answered, as he went back to drinking his cup of coffee.  
  
Fiona was practically jumping of joy. "Fantastic!" she exclaimed.  
  
"What else did you expect from him? (yawn)" Van commented. "Whe leave for Guygalos in an hour, so get ready."  
  
"I'll help you guys pack everything." Maria volunteered.  
  
And they went to get ready, with the hopes of receiving help from their friends.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.  
  
"Van here. We're going to Guygalos to meet up with Moonbay and Irvine, after two years. Hi's will be said, and comments will be made in our reunion. What ideas will they come up with? Next time on Zoids Search for an Assassin: Chapter 04 - Here comes Moonbay! See ya on the battlefield!"  
  
*****************  
  
Thanks to everyone who's reading this story! Now, review, please! It'll make Sora-chan happy! ^_^x 


	4. Here Comes Moonbay!

Sorry that I took so long to update, but I give the same reason as Rurouni Kenshin Highschool Madness readers. The only computer with online access is my dad's laptop, and he's been using it. But, have no fear if I weeks pass and I'm unable to update. The same I told RKHM readers, I WILL finish this  
story. No matter what stands in my way. Well, now on with the fic!  
  
Chapter 4: Here comes Moonbay!  
  
"I'm a transporter of the wasteland! I'm just making it up as I go!" Moonbay sang as she placidly piloted her Gustav through the Imperial Palace's gates. "Good morning, mister!" Moonbay chirped at the guard, who greeted her back.  
  
"Good morning, Miss Moonbay. By the way, I was given orders to give you this message: His Imperial Highness Emperor Rudolf and Captain Irvine of the Royal Guard wish you to meet up with them as soon as possible in the throne room." The guard said, and Moonbay put her hand to her chin.  
  
"Hmm. I wonder what his Imperial Highness could possibly want with me. And that Irvine too." she wondered. Then she perked up. "Oh well. Thanks, Mister! Bye!" she waved at him, and he nodded to her.  
  
Moonbay then parked her Gustav and headed to the throne room. On her way there, she walked in awe as she observed all of the beautiful art pieces that Rudolf had added to his halls recently. One of a sunset and a boy and a girl walking hand in hand along the beach sparked her interest. The boy had spiky black hair, and the girl had long blond hair. (No, they're not Van and Fiona, but they're supposed to look a bit like them, well, at least enough to remind you of them.)  
  
"Oh GOD! This picture. it reminds me of someone. Oh yeah! Van and Fiona! It's been so long since I last saw them." she said to herself, as she knocked on the door of the throne room. The door was opened by a familiar face.  
  
"Hi, Irvine!" Moonbay exclaimed, with an extremely cheerful attitude. (Geez, what did she put in HER coffee this morning?)  
  
"Hey, how's it goin'?" he asked in his smooth and cool tone of voice.  
  
Moonbay smiled a devilish smile. "Not bad. Not bad at all, considering I just made a budget on my last "mission". Hey, your Highness!" Moonbay greeted at Rudolf, who laughed at Moonbay's unusually too cheerful attitude.  
  
"I'm fine, Moonbay." He said, and Moonbay winked at him.  
  
"So, what do you want with me?" Moonbay asked.  
  
Irvine cleared his throat. "Van called, at 6 a.m. in the morning ON A SATURDAY, and asked me to find you 'cause they need our help, urgently." He said. Moonbay had to surpress a laugh. She was imagining a cranky Irvine at 6 A.M. on a Saturday.  
  
"Who's "they"? Moonbay asked stupidly and Irvine fell backwards sweatdropping. "Oh, now I remember!" Moonbay said blushing of embarrassment. "Van and Fiona." She then started hitting herself on the head. "Stupid Moonbay, think before you speak!" Irvine sweatdropped once more.  
  
Irvine put his hand on his pockets. "Are you done acting like a crazy lunatic?" he asked the EXTREMELY CRAZY Moonbay.  
  
"Yep!" Moonbay answered beaming. But Irvine still wasn't sure if she was done.  
  
"When can we leave? We have to meet them at the mexican restaurant in Guygalos." Irvine gave the information to Moonbay. Rudolf decided it was time for him to say something.  
  
"If Van needs you, I give you permission to go for as long as you need." He declared, but seeing the skeptical look on Irvine's face he added. "Don't worry! You'll get paid because you're helping our friends!" he said as Irvine sighed of relief.  
  
"Thank God! Now I can breath again!" he said, happy at the prospect of helping Van AND earning money.  
  
"Just let me take a quick shower and we can go. By the way, Irvine, you could use a shower too, you know." Moonbay said, still laughing.  
  
Irvine didn't like the sound of that. "What's that supposed to mean?" he inquired, in his sarcastic tone.  
  
"That you stink! Hahahahahaha!" Moonbay yelled at him as she started running down the hallway.  
  
"Why you little.! Moonbay, get back here!" Irvine yelled at her as he started running after her.  
  
They were running all over the palace, and Irvine hated to admit it, but he was getting tired. Moonbay wasn't even breaking a sweat. Probably due to her new workout plan that included a lot of running. After a while, Irvine stopped. He was too tired  
  
"Ok, Moonbay, I give up. You win." He sighed in defeat.  
  
Moonbay started "partying". "Woohoo! Yeah! Alright! I won! I beat Irvine! I beat Irvine! Hahahahaha!" Then she goes away running and laughing like an idiot.  
  
Irvine sighed. "This is a hopeless cause." Was all he said.  
  
* * *  
*  
  
An hour later, Van and Fiona where waiting for Moonbay and Irvine at the entrance of the restaurant. Fiona was just standing there, and Van was leaning against the wall, practically falling asleep on his feet.  
  
"(yawn) I'm glad we haven't run into trouble." Van yawned.  
  
"Me too. Hey, look! Isn't that Moonbay and Irvine over there?" Fiona asked, and Van turned to face where his companion was pointing.  
  
"(yawn) Huh? Oh yeah! You're right! Hey guys!" he yelled at his comrades, as Moonbay and Irvine caught up to them.  
  
"Hey kid, long time no see. How're you doin'?" Irvine asked and Van, at the happening of being called kid, got a bit, well, fuming!  
  
"I'm 15 years old, I'm not a kid!" Van fumed, then he yawned.  
  
"Aww, you're still the little boy I last saw a year ago. Aren't you cute?" Moonbay added.  
  
"Who you callin' cute?" Van replied, still fuming, but without yawning.  
  
Moonbay and Irvine burst out laughing like maniacs. (Gee, those two are weird, aren't they?) Moonbay stopped laughing and looks at Fiona, who was really quiet.  
  
"Hey, Fiona! How are you?" she asked as she gave Fiona a bear hug.  
  
"I'm fine, Moonbay. Well, sorta." She said, and then the girls turned to the boys.  
  
"Van, what does she mean "sorta"? Haven't you been taking good care of her? I swear, kid, if Fiona tells me something bad about you I'm gonna give you a piece of my mind!" Moonbay yelled. Then she turned all sweet and sisterly- sounding. "What's the problem, Fiona?"  
  
"We'll tell you soon." Fiona assured her. And they turned to see Irvine with Van in a headlock, and he was giving Van countless noogies.  
  
"As always, boys will be boys." Moonbay sighed, then she smiled wickedly. "So, Van. Tell us a bit about what you two have been doing ALONE for the past year. Have you proposed to Fiona yet?"  
  
"Moonbay!" Van scolded at her as he turned really red.  
  
"What's "proposed"?" Fiona asked, as clueless from the world as ever.  
  
"Well, Fiona, "propose" means that." Moonbay started before Van clasped his hand over her mouth.  
  
"We.DON'T have to explain that!" Van said, still blushing. But Moonbay managed to get him off.  
  
"Propose means that a boy asks a girl to marry him." Moonbay put simply.  
  
"Why would Van want to do something silly like asking me that?" Fiona asked, innocently, as Moonbay and Irvine sweatdropped.  
  
"Maybe because he likes you a whole lot." Moonbay answered winking at her.  
  
"Van, do you like me a whole lot?" Fiona asked him, and Van, who had stopped blushing a few seconds ago, well, you know.  
  
"Well, I." he stammered, sweatdropping and blushing. No DUH!  
  
"Ha. I think he does." Irvine said triumphantly.  
  
"Stay out of this, Irvine. It's none of your beeswax!" Van menaced, and Irvine decided to back off.  
  
"Wait a minute. Why did you call on us in the first place?" Moonbay interrupted.  
  
"(yawn) Oh yeah! You see, the thing is." he started, but was interrupted by his stomach grumbling really loud, like a fierce wolf growling.  
  
"Whatever it is, we can discuss it over a platter of papayas." Moonbay said, winking at Van.  
  
Van, blushing of embarrassment, said, "I guess I'm pretty hungry. (yawn)"  
  
"And you sound tired too. Poor Van hasn't slept a thing since 3 days ago." Fiona told the group.  
  
"Wow! Let's just hope he doesn't fall asleep in the enchiladas!" Moonbay laughed, and they started to walk to the restaurant door. "I'm starving! Let's eat!"  
  
To that, Irvine answered, "Sounds good to me." And they went inside the restaurant. They were seated at a table for four, Moonbay and Fiona in front of Irvine and Van.  
  
So Van and Fiona met up with their friends, hoping they can help them in some way.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED.  
  
"Hey there! Moonbay here! We finally met with Van and Fiona! They seem to be in a difficult situation. Well, don't worry! Moonbay and Irvine to the rescue!"  
  
"Hey, what're you dragging ME in for?"  
  
"Oh, don't be such an idiot, Irvine. Anyway, thunder falls, and a shadow appears. Next time on Zoids: Search for an assassin -Chapter 5-The second attack. See ya on the battlefield!  
  
*******************  
  
You heard the girl! Now please read and review! It makes Sora-chan feel better. (I'm sick. ~_~x) 


	5. The Second Attack

Chapter 5: The second attack  
  
It was a dark underground basement. It was like carved into a mountain, and so well hidden it looked like the mountain itself. In the biggest room, also the darkest, sat a man about 21. He had spiky green hair, piercing black eyes, he was pretty tall, with a muscular complexion. Oh yes, my friend. Remember Drake from Chapter 1? Well, he's bad, very bad.  
  
Drake was sitting at a desk with his chair facing the opposite side of where another person stood in the room. "Shadow, when will you attack again?" said Drake looking over his shoulder, addressing the man behind him. Shadow did a reverence to Drake, and from that low position he addressed his master.  
  
"When the next thunderstorm strikes." Shadow said in his creepy and dark voice.  
  
"And that'll be..." Drake started, waiting for a reply.  
  
Shadow simply answered. "Tonight."  
  
Drake seemed a bit pleased. "Excellent!" but then his voice turned to anger. "But I still haven't forgiven you since your last mission, which you failed miserably. Fiona only got scared and soaked with the rain, you didn't even scratch her."  
  
Shadow burst out. "It's all that meddlesome Van Flyheit's fault! He's the one that made me fail my mission." He claimed altered, and Drake started thinking.  
  
"Van Flyheit... After Fiona, he's next! Hahahaha- hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
(A/n: That was freaky...)  
  
* * *  
*  
  
The gang was at the restaurant watching with huge sweatdrops as Van devoured everything they put in front of him. He had eaten 5 tacos, 2 chihuahua specials, a couple chalupas, nachos, and just about anything they put in front of him.  
  
"Man, I'm glad Rudolf's paying this!" Irvine sighed with relief. As long as it wasn't HIS money...  
  
Fiona looked sympathetically at Van. "Poor Van, you were starving!"  
  
"So, tell us about why you need us." Moonbay said. She was dying to know what was so important.  
  
Van stopped eating, drank a glass full of papaya juice and looked at his friends.  
  
"Guys, Fiona's in grave danger." He said sounding really serious.  
  
"Yeah, with the way you eat, she's in danger of being eaten by you someday." Came one of Irvine's "wise-guy" remarks.  
  
Van answered sarcastically to that remark. "Very funny. Do you know about the assassin?"  
  
"Heard about him. Creepy shadowy guy, calls himself Shadow and attacks near midnight, never leaving a victim alive. So what? What does that have to do with your girlfriend?" Moonbay spoke up.  
  
"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND, MOONBAY!" Van yelled blushing and waving his arms furiously.  
  
"I think you really do like her." Moonbay said.  
  
"What makes you think that?" Van asked her, waiting for an answer, of course.  
  
Moonbay was thinking really hard. "Let's see... How do I explain it? Normally, when you kid around with a boy saying he likes a girl, and it's not true, they laugh it off WITHOUT blushing. But you don't laugh it off AND you blush when I say Fiona's your girlfriend.  
  
"Hey, you're right! BUSTED!" Irvine started teasing. (Oh well. I guess it's normal of Irvine to tease Van so much. After all, they're like brothers.)  
  
Van was really frustrated. "Just, LEAVE ME ALONE, YA MAGGOT!  
  
Irvine shook his head. "My, my. The kid's throwing a tantrum!" came his sarcastic remark once more. (I think I'm getting tired of these...)  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you, I'M NOT A KID!" came a fuming Van, and then he yawned again. (I'm yawning right now too... ^o^)  
  
Fiona was starting to get nervous. "Umm, guys, it's getting dark and I want to be someplace safe before it does."  
  
Moonbay was puzzled. "Why? Are you scared of the dark?"  
  
Van came to Fiona's aid. "She has a reason to. She was attacked by the Shadow 3 days ago." He said seriously.  
  
"Impossible! How did you survive?" Moonbay inquired. The Shadow was supposed to never leave a victim alive.  
  
"If it weren't for Van, I would have stayed in that graveyard permanently." Fiona shuddered. Van yawned once again.  
  
"He's braver than I thought." Moonbay commented.  
  
Fiona agreed. "Yeah. He's matured during the past year. He seems more...grown- up, and..."  
  
"Handsome?" Moonbay added smiling, and Fiona blushed a little, but nodded.  
  
"Yeah." She agreed once again. Moonbay always knew what was going on in other people's minds.  
  
"Well, at least you're honest and outgoing. If I had asked a person that I don't wanna look at..." Moonbay paused to look at Van, then continues, "if he found you more beautiful after the past year, he would start blushing a lot and would turn his back on me."  
  
"Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but it appears we have a man down." Irvine interrupted.  
  
"Huh?" the girls said at the same time.  
  
They all turned around to find that Van had fallen asleep on the table. He was VERY asleep, so deeply asleep that he was snoring. The girls just smiled.  
  
"It would be a shame to wake him up but we have to leave to the hotel. Irvine, could you please wake Van up for me?" Fiona requested.  
  
"Sure, Fiona." Irvine answered as he walked up to Van. Then it started... "Zi to Van, Zi to Van, do you copy? WAKE UP, YOU LAZY, GOOD FOR NOTHING..." Irvine yelled.  
  
"OKAY! OKAY! I'M UP!" Van yelled as he sprung up wide-awake.  
  
Fiona apologized. "I'm sorry Van, but I'm scared."  
  
"That's okay. For now, let's just get to the hotel." Van said as he yawned once again. (All of Van's yawning is making me yawn even more... It's 12:25 A.M... Sora-chan's sleepy...)  
  
"I think you better let go of the liger and Zeke for a while, 'cause they would give you away." Irvine said something helpful for once.  
  
"You're right." Van agreed. "Can you take them both with you to Rudolf's palace for tonight? We'll meet you there tomorrow."  
  
Irvine nodded. "Sure. So Moonbay, where're you gonna stay? Hotel or Imperial Palace?"  
  
Moonbay looked at Irvine with BIG starry eyes. "Oh WOW! Can I really stay in the palace?" she asked incredulously.  
  
"Sure!"  
  
"Oooh, thank you, thank you, thank you..." she said as she hugged Irvine, who felt a bit, awkward.  
  
"Whatever. Well, see you two tomorrow. Sleep well, you guys." Irvine replied smoothly as he and Moonbay walked out of the restaurant.  
  
Van just had a HUGE yawn. "I hope."  
  
They said goodbye for the night and each headed to their resting place. Van and Fiona walked to the nearby hotel, while Zeke controlled the liger, Irvine his Command Wolf and Moonbay her brand-new RED Gunsniper (Courtesy of Emperor Rudolf Gerhard Zeppelin III. Yay! Gunsnipy for Moonbay!) as they headed for the palace.  
  
Once in the hotel, Van and Fiona checked in. They went to their rooms, and each took a shower and went to bed. It was 9:00.  
  
3 hours later, Fiona woke up. It was raining heavily and thunder was heard and lightning flashed once in a while. She freaked out. It was just like 3 days ago...the thunderstorm, her waking up at midnight, being all alone in a room without Van... She had an urgent feeling to go running to Van's room, but she didn't. Suddenly a phone on the bedside table rang. Fiona hesitated but finally picked it up.  
  
"He...hello?" Fiona answered, her voice trembling in fear.  
  
A very familiar voice answered. "Guess what, Fiona. Look behind you."  
  
She was terrified. She didn't want to look back. But she had to. Something in her mind told her to. She turned around and there was Shadow with a sword in his hand.  
  
"Hello, Fiona. A pleasure to see your lovely face again. Unfortunately for you, it'll be the last time." He smirked, although you couldn't tell, because of all the black clothes and all...  
  
"V...Van, help." Fiona begged, her voice shaky and hardly audible.  
  
"Don't worry, it won't hurt... much." He said as he started laughing.  
  
Fiona screamed. "Help!"  
  
* * *  
*  
  
He was wandering around on a dark, dingy graveyard. He heard Fiona scream. He turned around. Shadow was standing in front of Fiona, who was flinching on the floor. A shot rang. Fiona lay lifeless. He could hear Shadow's sinister voice...  
  
"Fiona's dead because you weren't there for her. Now she's in the Other World and she hates you for it. You're responsible for her death. You weren't there to protect her."  
  
"No...NO! It's not true! She's not dead!" he cried, tears coming out of his eyes. "Fiona's not dead..."  
  
"Yes she is! And it's all YOUR fault! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..." Shadow cackled.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"  
  
Van woke up startled. What a horrible nightmare! He brought his hand to his eyes; they were wet with tears. He had cried in real life. Without warning, he heard a scream.  
  
Van looked up. "Fiona? Fiona! I swear, that was Fiona and it sounded like trouble."  
  
He got up and ran to the next room. On his way, he saw a Japanese sword hanging as an ornament. He picked it up. He might need it.  
  
* * *  
*  
  
"Say, goodbye, Fiona!" said Shadow.  
  
He lifted the sword over his head and let it fall. Fiona closed her eyes. {It's all over. Van, I want you to know...} She didn't finish that thought because instead of feeling the blade of the sword, she heard a clashing sound, like of the face-off between two blades of steel.  
  
"Not you again, you meddlesome pest! Now I have to get rid of you too." Shadow complained exasperated.  
  
Van was struggling with all his might to push back the sword, and finally he succeeded. The two continued to sword-fight, Shadow controlling his sword with mastery and Van trying to at least prevent himself from getting killed. He suddenly felt a terrible pain in the right side of his chest. Shadow had slashed him and had hurt him badly. Van, holding his wound with one hand, now had the disadvantage of his opponent using both his hands. Shadow slashed again. This time, Van got a deep cut in his left arm. Shadow kept advancing until Van tripped on a chair and fell to the ground. He looked up and Shadow put the tip of his sword on Van's neck.  
  
"Finally I'm going to get rid of you, you meddlesome pest, Van Flyheit!" Shadow proclaimed as he raised the sword.  
  
"No! Van!" Fiona cried out from the other side of the room.  
  
Just as the sword was about to touch Van, the door swung open, letting a group of imperial guards in.  
  
"Freeze!" commanded one of the guards. They were here because the old lady from the room next door called management to tell them that a funny-looking man dressed in black had broken in to the room next to hers.  
  
"I don't think so!" Shadow said.  
  
As Van got up, Shadow threw a smokescreen and disappeared, leaving behind coughing guards, a shaking Fiona, and a heavy breathing Van. Van put down the sword and collapsed to the ground. He was exhausted, he was sleepy, AND he had lost blood (not to mention he was starving). Fiona went over to him and hugged him in sign of gratitude.  
  
"Thank you, Van. If you hadn't woken up, I'd be..." she started, then broke out crying. "That Shadow. He's horrible. And he won't stop hurting us until I'm dead."  
  
Van tried to say something, but he just sat down on a chair as a medic attended to his wounds. Every once in a while he winced in pain. (BEWARE OF THE ALCOHOL!!!!!)  
  
He had to be prepared. Every time Shadow attacks, he, Van Flyheit, would have to risk his blood, his skin, and his life...  
  
***********************  
  
I liked this chapter. I think it was pretty good or, well, not that bad. What do YOU think? Review and make Sora-chan happy! ^_^x  
  
Next Chapter: Chapter 06- Meet Timber the Tiger 


	6. Meet Timber the Tiger

After a while, I'm updating again! Thanx for the reviews, guys!  
  
Chapter 06: Meet Timber the Tiger  
  
After the recent events, Van had to spend the rest of the night in the hospital, but he was going to be alright. It was actually good for him because he rested a lot, and got his energy back. (that means no more yawns in a while) Now it was 12 o'clock daytime and Van and Fiona were on their way to Rudolf's palace. It was quite a long walk. During the way, Van decided not to tell Moonbay and Irvine about what happened because they would feel guilty of not being there for Fiona and him. He was wearing his blue long-sleeve outfit, so his bandages and scars were not visible. Once they were in the palace gardens, they stopped curiously to look at what appeared to be a dust cloud kept running back and forth being chased by... an extremely cute little tiger. The cloud of dust was Irvine. (Weird, huh.)  
  
"Argh! Somebody get this thing away from me!" Irvine yelled as he ran as fast as he could, with the kawaii little tiger hot on his heels. Fiona and Van didn't know if they should help him or just stay away.  
  
"Rar rarh rer mew." Grumbled the little tiger. Fiona was starry-eyed at how cute the little thing was, while Van heaved a sigh. Then they heard another VERY familiar voice, apparently coming this way.  
  
"Irvine, you coward, Timber's not gonna do anything to you!" yelled out the feisty transporter of the Wasteland as she caught up with the tiger. "He just wants to play, right Timber?" she said sweetly, turning to the tiger.  
  
A purring feline was in a position of total submission at her feet, waiting for his master to rub his tummy. "Mew, rarh." Timber meowed.  
  
Finally Moonbay noticed Van and Fiona laughing their heads off because Irvine looked funny running away from Timber. She walked over to them.  
  
"Hi, guys! I want you to meet my new pet, Timber the tiger. Rudolf gave him to me as an advanced birthday present." Moonbay beamed, extending her hand to her tiger. Fiona bent down to pet him, and Timber was immediately upside down, with a giggling Fiona rubbing his tummy.  
  
"When's your birthday, Moonbay?" Van asked, while Fiona kept socializing with Timber, who was now licking her hand.  
  
"In two months. By the way, Van, when's your birthday?" Moonbay inquired. Van put his hand to his head, laughing sheepishly.  
  
"Well... he he... you see... my birthday's the day after tomorrow." He said, waiting for the explosion that was sure to follow.  
  
"WHAT?! YOU MEAN YOU'RE GONNA TURN 16 IN 2 DAYS AND YOU WEREN'T GONNA TELL US ANYTHING?!" Moonbay screamed, while Van, Fiona and Timber winced and covered their ears.  
  
"Umm, well, not really. I was gonna tell you guys, so hopefully Irvine won't call me a kid anymore. Speaking of which, where IS Irvine?" Van asked as everyone turned to look around.  
  
They started searching for him and guess where they found him; up a tree! Everybody started to laugh, and Irvine was fuming.  
  
"I don't find it funny! That... that... THING tried to jump on me!" he countered, but Moonbay looked angrily at him.  
  
"Quit yer whining, you big baby! I'll tie him up I fit makes you feel better." She snapped. Irvine came down after Moonbay tied Timber up to prevent him from jumping on Irvine. He was scared of Timber's razor sharp teeth and claws. (Gee, I wonder why...)  
  
Moonbay then glared at Irvine. "Are you done making a fool of yourself?"  
  
"Well Excuse Me, I'm only human. He looked hungry and I didn't feel like being lunch." He said coolly as he tried to regains his composure.  
  
Moonbay changed the subject quickly. "So, guys, how' bout a dip in Rudolf's giant pool with slide, diving board and everything!" she exclaimed happily, receiving gleeful looks from everyone except Van.  
  
"Yeah! Sounds great!" Irvine and Fiona exclaimed in unison.  
  
"No thanks. I think I'll pass." Van said, starting to walk the other way.  
  
Moonbay was taken aback by Van's weird attitude. He loved the water. Why wouldn't he want to get in? "Why?" she asked him.  
  
"I just don't feel like getting in. That's all." He said, signaling to Fiona to not say anything.  
  
Irvine looked at Van in his stare. "Van, are you feeling alright? You love the water! You're the best swimmer I know."  
  
"Yeah, Van. Why won't you get in? You can tell us, we're your friends. You can trust us." Moonbay said, but Van shook his head. "Okay, if you won't tell us, then your girlfriend will." (Van blushing: "She's NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)  
  
"Fiona, tell us. Why Van won't get in?" Moonbay asked Fiona. The look the tall tanned girl gave the other meant she wasn't gonna take an "I don't know." for an answer.  
  
"It's no use, Van. Show them."  
  
Van sighed in defeat. "Alright."  
  
He took off his shirt, exposing his chest. His torso was all wrapped up in bandages like a mummy's. On his arm was a deep-looking scar. Moonbay overreacted.  
  
"Oh my gosh! Van, WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING? WHO DID THIS TO YOU? WHERE WAS FIONA? WHERE'S TIMBER?" she started to scream, the last sentence not quite fitting in with the rest.  
  
"Uh, Moonbay? Why the heck you wanna know where's Timber? First of all, you don't need him for anything right now. Second of all, he's right there." Irvine pointed out, and Moonbay quickly put her hand to her head blushing.  
  
"Oooops! I think I overreacted."  
  
"Tell me about it." Van mumbled.  
  
"Okay. Let me guess. It was Shadow. But how did he do this to you?" Irvine asked.  
  
Fiona was the one to answer. "With the same sword he wanted to kill me with."  
  
Moonbay looked wide-eyed at Fiona and pulled her away from the boys. She said that they needed to talk some girl stuff in private. Van had no idea what the heck they were gonna talk about, but Irvine thought he knew.  
  
"Fiona, I can't believe everything Van's done for you. Please, I'm your best friend, you'll tell me if Van's your boyfriend, won't you?" Moonbay said seriously at Fiona, who was looking at her with big innocent eyes.  
  
"Moonbay, Van's not my boyfriend. But he obviously cares for me, although only a little." she answered.  
  
"Hmm. I think he's just being cute." Moonbay said as she looked over to the boy in question.  
  
"Think so?"  
  
"Uhuh. But still..."  
  
Meanwhile, Irvine decided it was time to make his move. He was curious about something.  
  
"Hey Van, come over here for a sec." He called out to Van, who was playing "Fetch" with Timber. Van came over, followed by the chibi tora.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Van, I'm your best friend. You would tell me if Fiona's your girlfriend, wouldn't you?" he said seriously to Van, who had big clueless eyes.  
  
"Why? You have a crush on her or something?" he asked.  
  
"Of course not. But, you should know, there aren't many girls like Fiona out there. Just in case." He said walking away.  
  
"Hey, wait!" Van said, and Irvine stopped.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What about Moonbay?"  
  
"What about her?"  
  
"Aren't you interested in her?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Well?"  
  
"End of conversation." Irvine declared as he walked away, leaving a wondering Van behind.  
  
At the same time they finished talking, Moonbay and Fiona stopped too. They changed into their bathing suits in Rudolf's state-of-the-art changing rooms with everything they needed. Then they went to the pool, and while everyone else got in, Van just stood next to it. He was thinking of what Irvine had said: "There aren't many girls like Fiona out there..." He shook his head. He WAS DEFINITLY NOT IN LOVE with Fiona. He didn't care how much Moonbay and Irvine teased. He was making this statement when he looked down. For a second, there was floor, then it disappeared.  
  
"Wha-Aaaaaahhhhhaaaaaa!!!!!!!" Van yelled as he fell into the pool. He came to the surface squirting water out of his mouth. Moonbay and Irvine were laughing their heads off.  
  
"Did you see the look on his face when Fiona pushed him in? Hahahaha!" Moonbay guffawed clutching her stomach. It was too funny.  
  
Irvine was laughing so hard, his eyes got watery. "It was one in a million! Hahahaha!"  
  
"Fiona..." Van said with gritted teeth, clutching his fist with his eyes closed.  
  
"Sorry, Van, but I just couldn't help myself." Fiona laughed.  
  
"Great. Now I don't have anything to wear. My last clothes are all ripped and bloody and now these clothes are soaking wet. This is definitely not my week." Van muttered, rolling his eyes. Nobody noticed when His Royal Shrimpiness was making his way to them.  
  
"Hello, Van. What's all the laughing about?" Rudolf asked, since everyone but Van was laughing loudly.  
  
Moonbay tried to answer. "Haha...Fiona pushed Van in the pool...ha hahahaha...should have seen his face!...Hahahahahaha!"  
  
Van cried out exasperated. "Enough! It's not funny. What am I supposed to wear now?" he fumed.  
  
"Hmm, there might be something in the palace you can wear..." Rudolf thought out loud, putting his hand to his chin.  
  
Half an hour later...  
  
"Hey, not bad!" Van commented while he admired himself in the mirror. He was now wearing the Republican uniform he wears on the first episode of GF, the one with the red sleeves that brings out the nice muscles in his arms.  
  
"Wow, Van! You look so cool in that long-sleeved republican uniform. It brings out the nice muscles in your arms." Moonbay commented excitedly.  
  
"Hey Rudolf! I've been your guard for a year now and you never gave me such a cool uniform." Irvine "pouted" at the kid.  
  
"That's because it's a republican uniform. It's not right for an imperial guard to wear republican clothes." Rudolf explained.  
  
Fiona was curious. "But then, where did you get this uniform?"  
  
"The president gave it to me as a gift, but I don't quite fit in it. It's hehe...a bit big, you know?" Rudolf went on with his explaining. A bit big? No kidding!  
  
"Well, Van looks great in it!" Moonbay and Fiona said in unison, making Van blush.  
  
"Of course I look great in this uniform! I'm a republican, after all." Van boasted proudly.  
  
"So, Van, where are you gonna stay tonight?" Rudolf asked.  
  
"Mind if we stay at the palace?"  
  
"Of course not! My palace is your palace."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Yours too, Irvine."  
  
"Crowned prince BRAT of the empire." Irvine mumbled.  
  
"Hey Rudolf, you mind if we go sight-seeing?" Van asked.  
  
"Of course not."  
  
"Well, see ya later!" he called out as he started running out the door. But he met with a big furry stripped mass. "Ouch! Timber! Watch it!"  
  
"Rorry." Timber seemed to say.  
  
"Say what?" Van asked sweatdropping.  
  
Moonbay was quick to translate. "He said Sorry."  
  
"Apology accepted! Come, Timber!" Van recovered from his trip, with a happy tiger hot on his heels.  
  
"Purr, mew, rarh!" Timber roared happily.  
  
"Good boy!"  
  
***********************  
  
At least Van survived the last attack, but how more can he take? Stay tuned for the next chapter.  
  
SO, how did you guys like this chapter? I was on a roll today, writing chapters for two of my fics in one afternoon. R & R, please! ^_^x  
  
Chapter 07: Time to get some R&R!  
  
(Here, R & R as in Rest and relaxation, not read and review) 


	7. Time to get some R & R

Hmm... it's been a while since I last updated this fic, hasn't it? Well, I managed to come up with a short update, more will be added, hopefully in August. Right now, I'm a bit busy reading a novel I have to finish before school starts... It's 591 pages... I've got a LOT of reading to do if I wanna  
finish in time. Plus my cousin came to visit from Virginia, plus I have TKD, plus I have to go to the gym, plus I have to babysit... There's just not enough time to sit down and write... Sorry... But I AM gonna finish this fic.  
That I promise. Well, onto the next chapter.  
  
Chapter 7: Time to get some R&R  
  
The gang went to the park at Guylos City, which was a beautiful place. Hundreds of fountains, trees, lakes, a small river, grass as far as the eye could see... Once they got there, they decided to have some fun!  
  
"Race ya, Timber!" Van called out as he started running to the bottom of the hill they were standing on. Timber quickly started chasing after him, roaring something that sounded like "Rou're ron, Ran!" (You're on, Van!)  
  
They were racing downhill and Van was winning, until he looked to the side for a second and saw Fiona, who was standing at the shore of the lake, looking at it, as if expecting to find the answers to all her questions in the dark depths. She looked so sad, yet so...  
  
Now Timber was the first one to reach the bottom of the hill. "RI Rin! Ruh?" (I Win! Huh?)  
  
"What?" Van asked as if snapping out of a trance. Then he noticed he had lost the race. "Huh? What the...?"  
  
Moonbay excitedly turned to Irvine "Did you see that? Van lost his concentration and the race because he lost himself gazing at Fiona." She said rather smoothly.  
  
"Your point is..." Irvine inquired, sounding disinterested.  
  
"What if he's finally starting to like her? I mean, more than a friend?" she said, winking at him. Irvine looked at her skeptically, then looked at Van and Fiona, then back at Moonbay again.  
  
"Think so?"  
  
Moonbay nodded. "I know so. I've fallen in love before, you know. Although my last crush was a bit stupid." She said, remembering the time she had been infatuated by the pilot of a pink Zaberfang  
  
Irvine snickered. "Tell me about it. Moonbay and Stinger, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I..."  
  
"Shut up, Irvine!" Moonbay bellowed as she raised her fist threateningly. Irvine, sweatdropping, quickly backed away.  
  
"Okay! Okay! I know when I'm beat." He sighed, stretching, then turning his gaze to land on his two friends and the "evil" tiger next to the lake. "So, you think Van's starting to notice Fiona?"  
  
"Yep!" Moonbay beamed at him, and Irvine just sweatdropped.  
  
"So, why do you want them together?" he questioned. "It's got nothing to do with you."  
  
"Oh, they just seem meant to be perfect for each other. After all, we know Van would give his life for Fiona. And Fiona would do the same for him."  
  
Irvine didn't say anything, just turned to look once again at the two mentioned youngsters.  
  
.....................................................................................  
  
Van was chasing Timber all around the park for a while, then Timber would chase him, and so on and so forth. They were at it for an hour, until both tumbled down the hill onto the lakeshore, exhausted.  
  
Van was out of breath. "Man! I... haven't... had... this... much fun in... a... long... time!" he gasped, breathing heavily. Timber just growled in approval before throwing himself unto Van and starting to lick his face.  
  
"Hey!" Van laughed. "That tickles!"  
  
"Aww... he's so cute!" Fiona cooed, making the little tiger purr happily. "Bet you two are hungry."  
  
"You betcha. We're starving." Van assured, and Timber flipped over so his tummy was in the air and licked his own mouth to show he was hungry.  
  
(Irvine: (vein popping out of his head) No WAY I'm gonna be your luch, you overgrown feline!!!)  
  
"And our guts hurt from so much laughing." He continued.  
  
"Why were you laughing?" Fiona asked sweetly, cocking her head to the side in question.  
  
Van suddenly burst out laughing. "From people's faces when they saw me running from a tiger. They got terrified! Hahahahaha...!"  
  
"Rahahahahahahahaha...!" Timber seemed to laugh with him. Both boy and tiger cub were now rolling around from laughing so much. Fiona smiled sheepishly as she sweatdropped, not noticing the two people making their way towards them.  
  
"Those two...No wonder there's nobody here! They scared them off. Good job! We have the park all to ourselves." Moonbay congratulated the two stooges, who turned and high-fived each other.  
  
Fiona sat next to Timber, petting him. Timber rolled over, purring at Fiona's caress and cuddling closer to her, moving away from Van.  
  
Van pouted at Timber's "betrayal". "Hey! See if I ever pet you again, you traitor." He humphed, before mock-crossing his arms over his chest and giving them his back. Timber stuck his tongue out at him, and Fiona just giggled. Then she got up, and Timber quickly followed her, like an obedient little tiger. (Which, I should have you know, he isn't...)  
  
Van stretched by the water's edge, taking in a deep breath. All around him it smelled like... sweet grass, flowers, and fresh water. Ahh..., he sighed. This was the life...  
  
He lazily turned to look at Timber, who was now playing tag with Fiona. Van's pitch-black eyes moved from the cuddly kawaii tiger to his fair- haired companion. She looked so... beautiful when she was laughing... smiling... having fun. It had been a while since he had seen her like that.  
  
Now Timber was it, and he started chasing Fiona. Accidentally, he crashed into her, which made Fiona fall right on top of Van. Fiona looked down and just stared into Van's eyes, while Van blinked, still registering what had happened. They were so close that their noses were almost touching. Suddenly realizing the position they were in, a familiar red tinge found its way onto Van's cheeks. Fiona, noticing their closeness and Van's blush, also started to blush and immediately got off Van.  
  
"Timber, why did you do that?" Fiona scolded at a droopy eared Timber, who was sorry of making Fiona of all people mad at him.  
  
"Rorry. Rit ras ran raccident." Timber apologized, in what sounded roughly like a "Sorry. It was an accident." (Is it me, or is Timber sounding a lot like Scooby Doo? ;-p)  
  
"Well, next time, be more careful, okay?" she smiled sweetly at Timber, whose ears immediately perked up. He mewed, licking her face. Fiona giggled, and beamed down at the tiger, before turning to face Van, who had his back to them, looking at the sun setting over the lake.  
  
Van started playing with the water, moving it with his hand, his cheeks still a bit red, when Fiona joined him. Van quickly moved a little to the side. Fiona noticed. She was about to ask him about it, when Van spoke up.  
  
"It's getting late. We should head back." He said softly, turning to look at her with two pools of darkness full of thoughts.  
  
Fiona nodded. "Yeah, we should. Wouldn't want the darkness to beat us to the palace." She turned and shuddered, wrapping her arms around her own shoulders and burying her chin on her knees.  
  
"You're still scared, aren't you?" Van said, running his hand through his hair, before sighing. He suddenly felt a comfortable warmth near him, and turned to see Fiona cuddling against his arm. A soft smile formed in his lips, and he put his arms around her, resting his head on hers.  
  
"It's ok, Fiona. It's ok. After all... everyone is scared... sometimes."  
  
What they didn't know... was that they would soon be more afraid than they ever had been...  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
  
All I'm gonna say is... Review, please! Until next chap! Which I promise... Is gonna be good! Well, better than this one, at least. 


	8. Van's Story

Sora: Hi. Guys! Sorry it's been so long since I last updated… but I'm back with another chapter, and that's all that matters, right? Well, I'll leave you guys for the short little update, okies?

Chapter 8: Van's Story

After their relaxing day at the park, it was soon time to return to the palace, before it got dark. Once at Rudolf's palace, everybody lined up to take a nice warm bath, including a very reluctant and grumbling Timber.

After that, they all went to the suite all six of them (Van, Fiona, Zeke, Irvine, Moonbay, and Timber, of course! ) would be staying in. The room was extremely large and luxurious with everybody having their own king-sized bed. The floor was covered in a plush carpet, and in the corner of the room was a roaring fireplace with a couple of comfy chairs all around.

Moonbay and Irvine were on the floor playing cards playing cards, while Van and Fiona were sitting before the fireplace reading. Zeke was curled up in a rug next to Van's bed, and Timber was stretched and purring in front of the comfortable fireplace.

The rest of the evening passed quietly, until Moonbay and Irvine started arguing over who won and who lost.

"Ha! I win! Royal Flush!" Moonbay declared, spreading her remaining cards for Irvine to see.

"It can't be, because I have the Ace of Spades." Irvine argued, showing his opponent the card.

Moonbay looked extremely confused. "Huh? But, it's right here!" she flashed him her identical Ace of Spades.

Irvine sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Two Aces of Spades? I'm tired of this game." He half-whined.

Moonbay puffed her cheeks while pouting. "You're only tired because you were losing!"

"Was not!"

"Was to!"

"Was not!"

"Was to!"

"Was NOT!!

"Ahhh! I can't take it anymore! Stop fighting!" Van yelled in frustration, making Moonbay and Irvine gape wide-eyed at him.

"Sorry." they apologized laughing sheepishly.

So much for that…

After half an hour or so, Van put down his large book, and sat down on the rug next to Zeke, leaving the book unfinished.

"Van, you still have 590 pages to go." Fiona pointed out, her Zoidian abilities enabling her to tell the number of unread pages a t a glance.

Van laid back, resting on Zeke. "I'm thinking of something else."

That piqued the fair-haired teen's interest. "Oh. About what?" she asked, putting her own book down, and moving to sit on Van's bed.

"My life. It's sort of a long story." He smiled softly at her.

"I have time."

"If you say so. Well, okay. I was born on the fourteenth of July, (A/n: I made it up, just in case.) together with a twin brother.

At this, Fiona looked extremely surprised. "You have a twin brother?" she gasped incredulously. It had never occurred to her that Van had a twin brother. How come he had never mentioned him before?

"Yeah. I know it's hard to believe, but I do have a twin. His name's Zack. Boy… we didn't always get along…" Van sighed.

"Would you tell me about your past?" Fiona asked, looking at Van with large ruby-red orbs.

"Nah… It's just my past. You don't wanna know about it." Van insisted, secretly loving all the attention he was getting from the beautiful zoidian girl.

"Oh, you're no fun." Fiona pouted playfully, eliciting a chuckle from Van.

"Fine then. If you insist. Well, as you know, I live alone with Maria. But it wasn't always like that. It used to be mom, dad, Maria, Zack, and me. But when I was 5 years old, my mother got really sick." Van's voice darkened here a bit. "Unfortunately, she passed away."

Fiona gasped. "Oh, Van. I'm so sorry! I didn't know…" Fiona whispered, but Van just gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's okay, Fiona. That was a long time ago." He replied gently at the girl, wiping away the small tears that had begun to form. Fiona was such a good-hearted girl. "Anyway, Maria had to work hard to help dad bring us up. I remember, Maria always liked me more because she said I was a "sweet" kid." Van blushed a bit at this comment.

"Cute!" Fiona whispered, giggling.

"What was that?" Van asked, quirking his eyebrows in question. Fiona just shrugged him off.

"Oh… nothing."

"Well, Zack was very jealous, and that's what created the friction between us. Then my dad died 6 years ago, when I was 9. After dad passed away, Zack was sent to live with a distant cousin because Maria couldn't handle both of us at the same time, and we've never met again. I stayed with Maria, and helped her keep us both alive, until I turned 14. Then, one day, on some ruins, I met my buddy named Zeke and a wonderful girl who would accompany me no matter what." he stated, receiving a huge warm smile from Fiona. "I think YOU know the rest of my life, don't you?"

"I never knew much about you, until now. You've gone through a lot, haven't you?" Fiona said, resting her chin on her knees, which she had brought close to her body.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." He smiled cockily, causing Fiona to giggle. "What about you? What's your story?"

Fiona looked down. "I really don't remember anything you don't know. My memory sort of came back when the Death Saurer awakened, but it's all still fuzzy."

"Well, I hope you get your memory back, so someday you can tell me all about your life as a Zoidian."

There was an awkward silence between them, as the two just gazed into each other's eyes. But… their little moment was interrupted by Zeke yawning. Van turned away, blushing.

"Well, let's finish these books! "Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix" is a pretty cool book. I want to see what happens next."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

"Why are they such close friends? I just can't picture a boy and a girl being such close friends without something going on between them." Moonbay whispered to Irvine, as they watched the exchange between both younger teens.

"Well, I hate to agree with you, but I think something IS starting to spark between them." Irvine muttered, resting back comfortably in his own bed.

Moonbay turned to look with wide eyes at Irvine. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious. Since when do I joke in YOUR favor?" he replied with a smirk.

"You got a point there." Moonbay sighed. "Well, what do you say we… CREATE the atmosphere?" Moonbay replied, holding her chin thoughtfully.

"Moonbay… Don't." Irvine ordered.

"Pretty please with a cherry on top and a million dollars on the side?" she looked up at him with big puppy-dog eyes. Irvine almost choked.

"Wh… why does she look so cute?" he said to himself. "Those eyes have never affected me before…" he shook his head vigorously to vanquish the thought.

"Well, if you put it THAT way…" he replied tauntingly, back to his smooth tone of voice.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she chirped, hugging Irvine very tightly. The "wolf" couldn't help the redness that came to his cheeks. He hoped Moonbay didn't notice.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Well, how was that? I hope it makes up a bit for all the time I haven't updated! Now please, Review! As an enticement, I already have chapter 9 written! I like it, personally. Me no telling! Just saying Moonbay puts her plan into action… Oops! Lol Already said too much… Review, onegai!

Sora-chan

Oh, and I'm gonna revise all the chapters. I've improved my writing style a lot (and my PSAT writing results certainly prove it.) I'll fix those ol' chapters!

Next Chapter: Chapter 9- Star light, star bright


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